Chip Conley of Airbnb speaks at the Global Alumni Summit in San Francisco .
When people reach the highest level of the pyramid , however , they have successfully found meaning , purpose , and engagement . Conley ’ s reinterpretation of the hierarchy of needs was based on one simple question : “ What if we became a self-actualized company ?”
Progress and achievement are only possible when we have the time and energy to focus on them . By applying Conley ’ s framework , an organization is forced to assess where it currently stands and determine what it will take to get to where it wants to be . As Conley told the alumni audience during the keynote , “ Life and business are about where you pay your attention .”
He went on to cite some revealing statistics about Americans ’ relationship with work . “ Two-thirds of people are asleep at the job — they ’ re not really that engaged ,” Conley said . “ Twenty-five percent see their work as a career , and then a small group , maybe five to ten percent , see their jobs as a calling .”
Conley realized that his framework could change this situation by requiring organizations to take measures — like removing barriers or instituting non-monetary benefits — to create a culture in which employees find more meaning in their work . Great leaders invert the pyramid framework to identify the philosophy that underpins their organization ’ s culture and decision-making process .
Conley cited an example of this leadership approach . Eight years ago , on a Southwest flight , he noticed that the airline ’ s CEO , Gary Kelly , was handing out peanuts on the plane . At the time , airlines had just begun charging for checked bags . Seeing Kelly was free at the back of the plane , Conley took the opportunity to strike up a conversation , asking : “ Why are you not charging for bags ?” In return , Kelly answered with his own question : “ Have you ever noticed that our flight attendants are different from the ones on United ?” Conley laughed and said , “ The United flight attendants seem to not enjoy their work , and your people seem to enjoy their work .” Kelly explained that after United instituted the fees , passengers consistently brought more luggage on board . As a result , United experienced a major decline in on-time efficiency , the number one metric for customer loyalty .
So , although other airlines jumped on the baggage fee bandwagon , Southwest elected not to for one key reason : the policy did not align with their “ basic corporate leadership philosophy .” As Kelly explained , Southwest flight attendants are living their calling . “ We want to create an environment where people live their calling . If we do that well , no other airline can compete with us .”
Southwest ’ s philosophy aligns perfectly with Conley ’ s framework , which lists “ meaning ” at the top of the needs hierarchy for an organization ’ s employees , above recognition and money . “ This idea that you create an organization that actually helps people live their calling is really critical to great companies . Great companies get that , and they make sure that as [ leaders ], what you do is try to take away obstacles that actually get in the way of people living their calling .”
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